


Starless Eyes

by LivingMemory



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Au Ra Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Elidibus is a bitch, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, M/M, Male Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Patch 5.2: Echoes of a Fallen Star Spoilers, Unresolved Emotional Tension, ace casually goes insane, they talk about their feelings, this isn't speculation on future patches just my personal headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingMemory/pseuds/LivingMemory
Summary: "You're not him""I thought we had already made that obvious. But you're right, I suppose you would know him best."An encounter between an ascian and the lover of the hero he possessed
Relationships: Ardbert & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Ardbert/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Kudos: 10





	1. Falling Stars

The backdrop of falling stars was fitting for this encounter, hopes and dreams laid to waste along with the lives of the innocent. Ace was knelt on the floor, the dark knight’s lonesome woeburn at his side as he glared at the face of his beloved, except it wasn’t him. This imposter had _stolen_ him, _used_ him, and any harm to his love was harm to Ace himself, and he wouldn’t stand for it. White skin blood stained red, long hair let loose, icy limbal rings alive with the flame of anger and passion, his sight only to determine who he desired to kill. He had expected obstacles along the way to the ascian and had dealt with them in kind, but now that he was finally here in front of the object of his aggression, he wasn’t quite sure what he should do.

Elidibus watched the dark knight slowly regain his composure. When taking on the appearance of the former warrior of light he had done so for the sake of his mission, he would never have expected the manic feelings it would have awoken in the usually stoic warrior of darkness, he couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing.

Ace got to his feet, calmed his breathing and said in a decisive huff “you’re not him.” Elidibus could have rolled his eyes at the predicament, it was obvious the feelings that the warrior of darkness harboured, “I thought we had already made that obvious” he hummed “but you’re right, I suppose you would know him best” he said and slowly moved closer to the pale xaela. He might as well have fun with this after all, “But that doesn’t stop one from spare indulgences, does it?” he said, his voice slowly morphing back into the illusion of Ardbert’s as he flashed a soft smile at Ace. This only aroused more anger inside of the hero and he was about to attack but the sight of the smiling face of the man he had loved caused him to falter.

“When I first sought out on my mission I hadn’t expected that these feelings of yours would have even existed” the emissary mused “I had no idea what had happened between the two of you to be exact, I knew that you were acquaintances and when I heard that little speech you made at the Crystarium I could tell the two of you had forged a friendship of sorts” the soft smile slowly transformed into a grin “but to find out about the true relationship that bonded you, and no I’m not speaking about your souls” Ace let out a growl then “but to find out that the two of you were in love? You really did catch me off guard there.” He looked up at the Au Ra who was shooting daggers through him with his glare.

“The encounter we had in Rak’tika sparked an interest in me as well, the way you raised your fist to me. Frankly I had no idea what you were doing at the time” he hummed, slowly raising a fist to Ace “surely you would appease me.” Ace looked at his own fist and groaned, he extended it to the ascian before using it to connect a blow to his face, Elidibus only laughed as he phased through it. “You really are way too obvious, blinded by love perchance but I fear I am speaking too much, come little warrior, speak to me.”

Ace was silent, unwavering, his expression only giving away the pure rage that filled him to his core. His icy skin was burning to the touch, frays of white appearing in his black hair. He spoke up after a while, “I won’t let you leave this place alive,” he said in a matter of fact tone, “for what you’ve done, not just to Ardbert” a jolt of pain shot through him as he spoke his name, “but for what you’ve done to everyone, all the horrible acts you have committed in the name of your god, the innocent lives that have been lost, all the people that you manipulated and hurt…” Ace trailed off, attempting to banish the memories from his head. “Correct me if I’m wrong” the emissary spoke up “but I thought you resented the scions, to an extent.” Ace’s eyes widened, foolishly giving away his feelings, Elidibus’ mouth curling at the edges once again. “They took your life away from you, forced you to become this hero that we both know you aren’t, I’m not a stranger to the horrible acts you have committed too Ace Shinobu. Though I must say the scion’s work was impressive to get a murderer like you to be seen as a hero to all of Eorzea, and no I’m not just speaking about the primals you killed.” Ace furrowed his eyebrows and looked away, the memories of his youth in the Steppe and his eventual bloody escape, the adolescence in Ishgard, but that was for his own self defense.

“You used to believe that people come back from the dead, so you were justified in ending them,” Elidibus continued, entertained by his pained expression “but perhaps you weren’t wrong, I mean look at me, perceive my appearance, am I not proof that the dead can come back and live once more” he purred, Ace moving in a flashing instant, pinning the ascian to the ground. “Now now Ace don’t get carried away” he chuckled “I know I may look like your boyfriend” he smirked and Ace responded by hitting him, the ascian not dodging this time. “YOU HAVE **NO** RIGHT TO SPEAK ABOUT HIM” he screamed in aggressive agony. “He was beautiful, kind, pure, he was the true hero of this god forsaken fucking world. You… You’re… YOU’RE TAINTING HIM” he yelled, tears forming in his eyes “you’re destroying him and his memory, I WON’T LET YOU LIVE FOR IT” he yelled as the ascian pushed him off and they both got back to their feet.

Ace retreated a few steps and threw his head back, gazing at the falling stars and burst into laughter, pure maniacal laughter. “You’re right about one thing.” the xaela said, his eyes resting on Elidibus “I’m no hero at all, I’ve done awful things and I deserve to be killed for them” he said, rolling his eyes a little “and yes maybe I do resent my comrades for the life they stole from me but you know who I hate more? You. Because I love Ardbert more than anything. The people of this world… they pushed him away, marked him as a villain, blamed the fall of this cursed place on him… It was never his fault.” He laughed again, shooting a glare at Elidibus “because you’re the one that tricked him” he said in an eerily soft voice. “Everything always comes back to you _emissary_ so your death on my hands I will treat as a blessing, a trophy, your blood will only be sweet to me.”

Elidibus could say that he was ever so slightly concerned at this point, the air surrounding them was calm, but it shouldn’t be. Feelings of love, he hadn’t felt it for a long time but he could surely say that it wasn’t love that was driving the xaela’s anger, devotion could never make a monster so filled of hate, he was… interesting to say the least, perhaps Emet-Selch had actually been right about him. “Elidibus. Have you ever been in love?” Ace spat, his words drenched in poison and malice. “I have” he replied “once, a long time ago, back in the days of Amaurot.” he cautiously studied the warrior’s expression, he knew that Ace had the power to kill him at this moment but he seemed to be waiting it out as well. “Then you would know how I feel.” Ace said with a frown and Elidibus shook his head “I don’t doubt the love you feel for Ardbert, but that is not what’s driving your desires.” he concluded, one of Ace’s eyes twitching. “I feel that deep down you have an obsession, not that I blame you for it, but your fixation is what has broken you.” He could have rolled his eyes at this point, how cliché.

Ace was thinking it over, his eyes were unreadable and Elidibus sighed out of his own impatience, “I don’t mean to put a rain on this ever so lovely parade we’re having but I have a goal to fulfil” he frowned “and if you’re not actually going to fight me then I am afraid that you are wasting my time” Ace’s eyes snapped back to Elidibus and he raised his large sword. Elidibus could have sworn that the last time they had met Ace had borne daggers, the weapon of the dark knight only showing the evidence of his corrupted soul. “Very well” Elidibus said with a sense of finality, knowing that if he lost the xaela would certainly not allow an escape. “I shall accommodate your desires as well.”


	2. Finality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It ends.

Their battle was a dance to the melody of bloodshed, Ace’s sword meeting Elidibus’ axe, the clang of steel filling the ears of Ace’s comrades below. Ace frowned “how dare you use bravura…” he muttered in spiteful agony as he overpowered the ascian, landing a blow that sent him flying a few feet away. Taking the opportunity to hone in on his prey Ace charged forwards, sword raised high, ready to unleash the dark parts of his sundered soul into a brutal attack when the emissary regained his composure, their weapons meeting once again, a crossroad. 

“It saddens me” Elidibus started as their fight continued, “you remain ignorant to where you came from, what your true purpose is” he carried on as he parried Ace’s frantic attacks. “Do you honestly not remember?” He asked, dodging out of the way of the xaela’s strikes. Ace didn’t seem phased at all, “what does it matter where I resided in the past?” he replied with a frown “I don’t care about where I came from or what I may have been to you and the convocation” he spat as he felt the delirium echo up from the depths of his soul, his dark side channeling into a comfortable embrace around his mentality. “All that matters to me now is him.”

Elidibus sighed, he knew that the days of Amaurot were long over but part of him had hoped at the very least that perhaps the xaela would have indulged him in the past for one moment. Hydaelyn’s curse having corrupted him so. “Very well” he said with a sense of finality, dropping the axe to the ground. “Let us fight properly then” he grinned, discerning the warrior’s hateful glare as his hands erupted in darkness, the great sword now meeting the magic power of Elidibus and his ancestors. Ace had tears in his eyes, a part of him screaming out that he had to calm down, to stop this madness filled of hate and suffering, the “hero” turning a deaf ear and his heart being fueled more by the rage of his conviction. 

Ace took a step back, coughing up blood, a dark red like the roses he kept in his garden. He frowned at the thought, how long had it been since he had been at home in the Source. Home… He quickly dismissed his feelings of doubt, cursing the mind games that the ascian was surely playing but he failed to prevent the tears brimming in his eyes. He glared at Elidius and was taken aback as behind Elidibus was the object of Ace’s affection, the lover that he missed so dearly, that he would destroy all the sundered stars to get back, Ardbert himself. Ace furrowed his eyebrows, surely this was a trick. Ardbert couldn’t possibly be here, he broke into a sob and fell to his knees, he could appease his desires, just a little bit. Ardbert took a few steps towards him “What are you doing?” He asked and Ace looked up at him, taking in every inch of him. “I’m fighting for you, fighting for us-” he quickly defended and Ardbert shook his head “you’re fighting for yourself” he pointed out and knelt down so their faces were at the same height. “But aye I did tell you to be selfish didn’t I?” He chuckled a little and looked behind him to Elidibus “you really want to kill him that bad?” He asked, Ace quickly nodding. “I suppose I can lend you a hand then” he said with the grin that made Ace’s heart melt and flutter at the same time. “One life… for one world…” he smiled and vanished in a small flash of light.

The xaela got to his feet, his head felt… clearer. The darkness was calm, allowing Ace’s senses to slowly gain their control back. Looking down to his hands the warrior saw that instead of the woeburn that he had equipped himself with his hands now bore bravura. The same bravura, the weapon of light, that had felled Emet-Selch. Ace looked up at Elidibus and grinned, “you may have his body” Ace said, the sound of a slight taunt in his voice “but I have his soul.” Breathing in a gasp of fresh air a smile crossed his lips “we fight as one…” he whispered and charged at Elidibus, his strength unrivalled as the powers of light and darkness conflicted with each other in a surge of passion.

After many hours their battle eventually ending with Elidibus collapsed on the floor, Ace standing over him victorious, though there was no pride or triumph within him, he didn't know what to feel. It was silent then apart from the distant bitter howling of the wind, the night sky devoid of light, the only radiance coming from the axe still in Ace’s hand. The ascian turned to him, Ardbert’s face morphing into a form of pleading “A-Ace- don’t kill me-” he said, his voice taking on the tone of the warrior of light. Ace faltered for a moment but regained his composure, his mind was torn, if he were to deal the blow to this body what would become of Elidibus, and what would become of the body of his beloved. He shook away the thoughts, this was no time for doubt. “That’s the good thing of being in love with a ghost... he was always dead” he said decisively, his limbal rings glowing white as the axe plunged into the chest of his past lover. A single tear rolling down Ace’s cheek “Ardbert…” he whispered, the dark energy from his soul flowing through him then “please may you finally rest in peace…”

Ace’s thoughts were racing as he watched the emissary give in, nothing was left for eirher of them here. He wasn’t ignorant to the past like the ascian had claimed, he knew everything about his past and what had become of him. At this point though Ace could not have cared less, he had made many escapes in his past of this life yet he didn’t let that affect him and what did it matter when he could live in the present and look towards the future, a future he hoped that would bring the reunion for him and his love. He watched the axe slowly dissolve away, the particles of light returning to join the stars and Ace sighed softly, feeling a contentment in his soul. Ardbert was still with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally cannot write fight scenes for the life of me

**Author's Note:**

> you have no idea how many MCR songs I associate with WoLArdbert cos I'm emo trash


End file.
